US20210162977A1 - Vehicle electric brake device - Google Patents
Vehicle electric brake device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20210162977A1 US20210162977A1 US17/076,221 US202017076221A US2021162977A1 US 20210162977 A1 US20210162977 A1 US 20210162977A1 US 202017076221 A US202017076221 A US 202017076221A US 2021162977 A1 US2021162977 A1 US 2021162977A1
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- United States
- Prior art keywords
- braking force
- electric
- brake device
- electric motors
- piston
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
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Classifications
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60T—VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL; ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES
- B60T13/00—Transmitting braking action from initiating means to ultimate brake actuator with power assistance or drive; Brake systems incorporating such transmitting means, e.g. air-pressure brake systems
- B60T13/74—Transmitting braking action from initiating means to ultimate brake actuator with power assistance or drive; Brake systems incorporating such transmitting means, e.g. air-pressure brake systems with electrical assistance or drive
- B60T13/746—Transmitting braking action from initiating means to ultimate brake actuator with power assistance or drive; Brake systems incorporating such transmitting means, e.g. air-pressure brake systems with electrical assistance or drive and mechanical transmission of the braking action
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60T—VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL; ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES
- B60T8/00—Arrangements for adjusting wheel-braking force to meet varying vehicular or ground-surface conditions, e.g. limiting or varying distribution of braking force
- B60T8/17—Using electrical or electronic regulation means to control braking
- B60T8/176—Brake regulation specially adapted to prevent excessive wheel slip during vehicle deceleration, e.g. ABS
- B60T8/1761—Brake regulation specially adapted to prevent excessive wheel slip during vehicle deceleration, e.g. ABS responsive to wheel or brake dynamics, e.g. wheel slip, wheel acceleration or rate of change of brake fluid pressure
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60T—VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL; ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES
- B60T13/00—Transmitting braking action from initiating means to ultimate brake actuator with power assistance or drive; Brake systems incorporating such transmitting means, e.g. air-pressure brake systems
- B60T13/74—Transmitting braking action from initiating means to ultimate brake actuator with power assistance or drive; Brake systems incorporating such transmitting means, e.g. air-pressure brake systems with electrical assistance or drive
- B60T13/741—Transmitting braking action from initiating means to ultimate brake actuator with power assistance or drive; Brake systems incorporating such transmitting means, e.g. air-pressure brake systems with electrical assistance or drive acting on an ultimate actuator
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16D—COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
- F16D55/00—Brakes with substantially-radial braking surfaces pressed together in axial direction, e.g. disc brakes
- F16D55/02—Brakes with substantially-radial braking surfaces pressed together in axial direction, e.g. disc brakes with axially-movable discs or pads pressed against axially-located rotating members
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16D—COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
- F16D55/00—Brakes with substantially-radial braking surfaces pressed together in axial direction, e.g. disc brakes
- F16D55/02—Brakes with substantially-radial braking surfaces pressed together in axial direction, e.g. disc brakes with axially-movable discs or pads pressed against axially-located rotating members
- F16D55/22—Brakes with substantially-radial braking surfaces pressed together in axial direction, e.g. disc brakes with axially-movable discs or pads pressed against axially-located rotating members by clamping an axially-located rotating disc between movable braking members, e.g. movable brake discs or brake pads
- F16D55/224—Brakes with substantially-radial braking surfaces pressed together in axial direction, e.g. disc brakes with axially-movable discs or pads pressed against axially-located rotating members by clamping an axially-located rotating disc between movable braking members, e.g. movable brake discs or brake pads with a common actuating member for the braking members
- F16D55/225—Brakes with substantially-radial braking surfaces pressed together in axial direction, e.g. disc brakes with axially-movable discs or pads pressed against axially-located rotating members by clamping an axially-located rotating disc between movable braking members, e.g. movable brake discs or brake pads with a common actuating member for the braking members the braking members being brake pads
- F16D55/226—Brakes with substantially-radial braking surfaces pressed together in axial direction, e.g. disc brakes with axially-movable discs or pads pressed against axially-located rotating members by clamping an axially-located rotating disc between movable braking members, e.g. movable brake discs or brake pads with a common actuating member for the braking members the braking members being brake pads in which the common actuating member is moved axially, e.g. floating caliper disc brakes
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16D—COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
- F16D65/00—Parts or details
- F16D65/14—Actuating mechanisms for brakes; Means for initiating operation at a predetermined position
- F16D65/16—Actuating mechanisms for brakes; Means for initiating operation at a predetermined position arranged in or on the brake
- F16D65/18—Actuating mechanisms for brakes; Means for initiating operation at a predetermined position arranged in or on the brake adapted for drawing members together, e.g. for disc brakes
- F16D65/183—Actuating mechanisms for brakes; Means for initiating operation at a predetermined position arranged in or on the brake adapted for drawing members together, e.g. for disc brakes with force-transmitting members arranged side by side acting on a spot type force-applying member
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16D—COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
- F16D2121/00—Type of actuator operation force
- F16D2121/18—Electric or magnetic
- F16D2121/24—Electric or magnetic using motors
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16D—COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
- F16D2125/00—Components of actuators
- F16D2125/18—Mechanical mechanisms
- F16D2125/20—Mechanical mechanisms converting rotation to linear movement or vice versa
- F16D2125/34—Mechanical mechanisms converting rotation to linear movement or vice versa acting in the direction of the axis of rotation
- F16D2125/40—Screw-and-nut
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16D—COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
- F16D2125/00—Components of actuators
- F16D2125/18—Mechanical mechanisms
- F16D2125/44—Mechanical mechanisms transmitting rotation
- F16D2125/46—Rotating members in mutual engagement
- F16D2125/48—Rotating members in mutual engagement with parallel stationary axes, e.g. spur gears
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16D—COUPLINGS FOR TRANSMITTING ROTATION; CLUTCHES; BRAKES
- F16D2500/00—External control of clutches by electric or electronic means
- F16D2500/30—Signal inputs
- F16D2500/31—Signal inputs from the vehicle
- F16D2500/3114—Vehicle wheels
- F16D2500/3118—Slip of vehicle wheels
Definitions
- the following disclosure relates to an electric brake device installed on vehicles.
- the electric brake device includes an electric motor as a drive source.
- the electric brake device is configured such that a piston is advanced by a force of the electric motor and a friction member is pushed by the advancing movement of the piston against a rotation body that rotates with a wheel.
- the electric brake device includes a plurality of electric motors each as the drive source, each of the electric motors can be downsized.
- Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-94787 describes a vehicle electric brake device including a plurality of electric motors. (The vehicle electric brake device will be hereinafter simply referred to as “electric brake device” where appropriate).
- the electric brake device described above includes two pistons, and the two pistons are moved respectively by two electric motors.
- the electric brake device is still under development, and there remains much room for improvement in the electric brake device. Thus, some modifications can enhance utility of the electric brake device. Accordingly, one aspect of the present disclosure is directed to an electric brake device having high utility.
- an electric brake device for a vehicle includes:
- an actuator including (a) a piston configured to come into engagement with the friction member, (b) two electric motors each as a drive source, and (c) a motion converting mechanism configured to convert a rotating motion of each of the two electric motors into an advancing and retracting movement of the piston, the actuator being configured such that the piston is advanced to push the friction member against the rotation body so as to generate a braking force and the piston is retracted to move the friction member away from the rotation body so as to cancel the braking force.
- the electric brake device of the present disclosure includes two electric motors each as the drive source, resulting in downsizing of the two electric motors.
- the downsizing of each electric motor can make inertia (inertial force) of the electric motor small.
- the response means the shortness of a time from a time point when a command to generate the braking force is issued to a time point when the braking force is actually generated.
- the electric brake device of the present disclosure is configured such that one piston is moved by the two electric motors.
- the present electric brake device is simple in structure.
- the electric brake device of the present disclosure has high utility.
- the electric brake device of the present disclosure may be configured such that the controller controls the two electric motors, respectively, in other words, the controller controls the two electric motors independently of each other, so as to control the braking force to be generated.
- the controller may include, as a principal constituent element, a computer constituted by a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and may further include drivers (drive circuits) for the respective two electric motors.
- a required braking force which is the braking force required to be generated by the present electric brake device
- the controller may control only one of the two electric motors to push the friction member against the rotation body.
- the controller may control both of the two electric motors to push the friction member against the rotation body. The controller thus controls the two electric motors, whereby a possibility of mutual interaction of the two electric motors is eliminated, for instance, when the required braking force is not greater than the set braking force.
- the piston can be moved smoothly.
- distribution of the force between the two electric motors is not limited to particular distribution.
- one of the two electric motors may be controlled so as to generate, by its force, the set braking force while the other of the two electric motors may be controlled so as to generate, by its force, the braking force corresponding to a difference between the required braking force and the set braking force, namely, a shortage with respect to the required braking force that cannot be provided by the set braking force.
- the two electric motors may be controlled to generate mutually equal forces, for instance.
- both of the two electric motors may be controlled to move the friction member away from the rotation body even if the friction member is being currently pushed against the rotation body by the force of only one of the two electric motors. It is desirable that the braking force be rapidly canceled when the locking of the wheel occurs. According to the control described above, when the occurrence of the locking of the wheel is estimated, the braking force can be promptly canceled, thus achieving an appropriate ABS operation.
- the concept “the occurrence of the locking of the wheel is estimated” means not only a situation in which it is recognized that the wheel has completely locked, but also a situation in which it is estimated that the probability of the occurrence of the locking of the wheel has increased to a certain extent, namely, it is estimated that the wheel is about to lock.
- the concept means not only a situation in which it is recognized that the slip ratio has become equal to 100%, but also a situation in which it is recognized that the slip ratio has increased to such an extent that the wheel is about to lock.
- the controller may control the two electric motors as follows. In a state in which the slip ratio of the wheel is greater than the set slip ratio, one of the two electric motors may be controlled such that the piston pushes the friction member against the rotation body while the other of the two electric motors may be controlled such that a retracting force is applied to the piston, the retracting force being a force in a direction in which the piston moves away from the rotation body. When the occurrence of the locking of the wheel is estimated, both of the two electric motors may be controlled such that the piston moves away from the rotation body.
- the state in which the slip ratio of the wheel is greater than the set slip ratio may be regarded as a state in which the probability that the locking of the wheel will occur shortly afterward is high, namely, a state slightly prior to the estimation of the occurrence of the locking of the wheel, in the process leading to the locking of the wheel.
- the retracting force by the other of the two electric motors is applied to the piston.
- the state in which the retracting force is applied to the piston by the other of the two electric motors will be hereinafter referred to as “standby state” where appropriate for representing a state for standing by the locking of the wheel.
- the retracting force in the standby state preferably does not hinder the pushing of the friction member against the rotation body by the piston that depends on the force of the one of the two electric motors.
- the retracting force preferably does not hinder the braking force which is being applied to the wheel by the force of the one of the two electric motors.
- the other of the two electric motors is preferably controlled to apply, to the piston, the retracting force to such an extent that the braking force being currently generated does not substantially decrease.
- the friction force increases as the slip ratio increases from 0% and peaks when the slip ratio becomes equal to about 15%-20%.
- the friction force subsequently decreases with a further increase in the slip ratio and becomes equal to a value at which a specific braking force is obtained when the slip ratio is equal to 100%.
- the set slip ratio is preferably set based on the slip ratio at which the friction force peaks, namely, based on the slip ratio at which a grip force of the wheel with respect to the road surface is maximum.
- peak slip ratio This slip ratio will be hereinafter referred to as “peak slip ratio” where appropriate).
- the peak slip ratio itself may be determined as the set slip ratio.
- the set slip ratio may be determined so as to be lower or higher than the peak slip ratio by allowing a slight margin for the peak slip ratio.
- FIG. 1A is a plan view of a vehicle electric brake device according to one embodiment
- FIG. 1B is a front view of the electric brake device according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 2A is a plan view of a vehicle electric brake device according to a comparative example
- FIG. 2B is a front view of the electric brake device according to the comparative example
- FIG. 3 is a graph indicating a relationship between: a wheel slip ratio; and a friction force between a wheel and a road surface in a vehicle traveling direction;
- FIG. 4 is a flowchart indicating a brake control program executed in the electric brake device according to the embodiment.
- An electric brake device is a disc brake device illustrated in a plan view of FIG. 1A and a front view of FIG. 1B (in which a front-side portion of the device is partly removed).
- the electric brake device includes a disc rotor 10 as a rotation body that rotates with a wheel, a pair of brake pads 12 disposed so as to interpose the disc rotor 10 therebetween, and an actuator 14 configured to push the brake pads 12 against the disc rotor 10 for applying a braking force to the wheel.
- the long dashed short dashed line in FIG. 1A indicates an axis L of the actuator 14 (hereinafter referred to as “actuator axis L” where appropriate).
- the actuator 14 is disposed such that the actuator axis L is parallel to an axis of the wheel, i.e., a wheel axis.
- a direction in which the actuator axis L extends will be referred to as an axial direction
- a lower side and an upper side in FIG. 1A will be referred to as a body side in the axial direction and a counter-body side in the axial direction, respectively.
- the disc rotor 10 is held by a carrier (not shown) together with the wheel (not shown) such that the disc rotor 10 is rotatable about the wheel axis.
- the carrier may be referred to as a steering knuckle in a case where the wheel is a steerable wheel.
- Each brake pad 12 includes a friction member 12 a to be pushed against the disc rotor 10 and a backup plate 12 b that backups the friction member 12 a on one side of the friction member 12 a opposite to the disc rotor 10 .
- the brake pad 12 itself may be regarded as the friction member. In view of this, pushing the friction members 12 a against the disc rotor 10 will be referred to as pushing the brake pads 12 against the disc rotor 10 .
- moving the friction members 12 a away from the disc rotor 10 namely, allowing the friction members 12 a to be moved away from the disc rotor 10
- moving the brake pads 12 away from the disc rotor 10 will be referred to as moving the brake pads 12 away from the disc rotor 10 .
- the actuator 14 includes a main body 20 constituted integrally by a base member 20 a having a generally U-shaped cross section and opening upward and a frame 20 b to an inside portion of which the base member 20 a are bonded at opposite end portions thereof.
- a main body 20 constituted integrally by a base member 20 a having a generally U-shaped cross section and opening upward and a frame 20 b to an inside portion of which the base member 20 a are bonded at opposite end portions thereof.
- one of the two brake pads 12 located on the body side is held by the base member 20 a while the other of the two brake pads 12 located on the counter-body side is held by the frame 20 b , such that a displacement of the two brake pads 12 in the axial direction is allowed.
- the main body 20 itself is held by the carrier such that its displacement in the axial direction is allowed utilizing support holes 20 c formed through the base member 20 a in the axial direction.
- the actuator 14 includes two electric motors 22 each as a drive source.
- the two electric motors 22 are fixedly supported by the base member 20 a .
- the actuator 14 further includes a piston 24 for pushing the brake pads 12 against the disc rotor 10 .
- the piston 24 is held by the base member 20 a so as to be movable in the axial direction via a holder sleeve 26 fixed to the base member 20 a.
- the actuator 14 includes a motion converting mechanism 28 configured to convert rotating motions of the respective two electric motors 22 , namely, rotating motions of motor shafts of the respective two electric motors 22 , into an advancing and retracting movement of the piston 24 in the axial direction.
- a movement of the piston 24 toward the body side in the axial direction will be referred to as a retracting movement while a movement of the piston 24 toward the counter-body side in the axial direction will be referred to as an advancing movement.
- the actuator 14 advances the piston 24 to cause the brake pads 12 to be pushed against the disc rotor 10 , so as to generate the braking force.
- the actuator 14 retracts the piston 24 to cause the brake pads 12 to be moved away from the disc rotor 10 , namely, to allow the brake pads 12 to be moved away from the disc rotor 10 , so as to cancel the braking force.
- a female thread 24 a is formed on the piston 24 .
- a main shaft 30 which has a male thread 30 a held in threaded engagement with the female thread 24 a , is held by the base member 20 a such that the main shaft 30 is rotatable and immovable in the axial direction.
- the piston 24 moves in the axial direction. That is, a converting portion 28 a of the motion converting mechanism 28 is constituted by the main shaft 30 and the portion of the piston 24 on which the female thread 24 a is formed.
- the main shaft 30 extends from the base member 20 a toward the body side.
- a driven gear 32 which is a spur gear having a relatively large diameter, is fixedly fitted on the extended portion of the main shaft 30 .
- the motor shaft of each electric motor 22 extends from the base member 20 a toward the body side.
- a drive gear 34 which is a spur gear having a relatively small diameter, is fixedly fitted on the extended portion of each motor shaft.
- Two intermediate gears 36 are rotatably held by the base member 20 a such that each of the two intermediate gears 36 connects a corresponding one of the drive gears 34 and the driven gear 32 .
- each intermediate gear 36 is constituted integrally by a large-diameter gear 36 a that is a spur gear having a relatively large diameter and a small-diameter gear 36 b that is a spur gear having a relatively small diameter.
- the large-diameter gear 36 a is in mesh with a corresponding one of the drive gears 34 while the small-diameter gear 36 b is in mesh with the driven gear 32 .
- the driven gear 32 , the two intermediate gears 36 , and the two drive gears 34 constitute a functional portion for decelerating the rotation of each electric motor 22 and transmitting the decelerated rotation to the main shaft 30 , namely, the driven gear 32 , the two intermediate gears 36 , and the two drive gears 34 constitute a speed reducer 28 b of the motion converting mechanism 28 .
- the motion converting mechanism 28 is configured to convert the rotating motions of any of the two electric motors 22 into the advancing and retracting movement of the piston 24 .
- the piston 24 can be advanced and retracted only by a force of the one of the two electric motors 22 .
- the force will be hereinafter referred to as “motor torque” where appropriate.
- the two electric motors 22 can cooperate with each other, so as to advance and retract the piston 24 by the motor torques of the two electric motors 22 .
- the electric device according to the comparative example includes only one electric motor as the drive source.
- An actuator 14 ′ of the electric brake device according to the comparative example includes one electric motor 22 ′ as the drive source.
- the electric motor 22 ′ is large-sized, as compared with each electric motor 22 that the electric brake device of the present embodiment includes as the drive source.
- the electric motor 22 ′ is configured to generate a motor torque about twice as large as the motor torque that can be generated by each electric motor 22 .
- the large-sized electric motor 22 ′ has an outside diameter considerably larger than that of the electric motors 22 .
- the electric brake device according to the embodiment including the relatively small-sized two electric motors 22 each as the drive source is compact in size, as compared with the electric brake device according to the comparative example including the relatively large-sized electric motor 22 ′ as the drive source.
- the electric brake device according to the comparative example including only one electric motor 22 ′ as the drive source has a motion converting mechanism 28 ′ (speed reducer 28 b ′) different in structure from the motion converting mechanism 28 (the speed reducer 28 b ) of the electric brake device of the present embodiment.
- the electric brake device of the embodiment having the relatively small-sized electric motors 22 is excellent in response of the motor torque and accordingly excellent in response of the braking force, as compared with the electric brake device of the comparative example having the relatively large-sized electric motor 22 ′.
- the diameter of the electric motors 22 smaller than that of the electric motor 22 ′ contributes particularly to good response.
- the electric brake device including the two electric motors each as the drive source
- an electric brake device configured such that the two electric motors move respective two pistons via respective two motion converting mechanisms.
- the electric brake device of the embodiment is simple in structure.
- the electric brake device of the embodiment namely, the braking force to be generated by the electric brake device, is controlled by a controller (not shown).
- the controller includes a computer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and drive circuits (drivers) for the respective two electric motors 22 .
- Each electric motor 22 is a three-phase brushless motor, and each drive circuit is an inverter.
- the electric brake device of the embodiment is provided with an axial force sensor for detecting an axial force (thrust force) that acts on the main shaft 30 as a reaction force of the pushing of the brake pads 12 against the disc rotor 10 by the piston 24 .
- the controller controls operations of the two electric motors 22 independently of each other based on the axial force detected by the axial force sensor. That is, the controller controls the two electric motors 22 independently of each other, thereby controlling the braking force to be generated.
- the controller determines, as a required braking force, the braking force that should be generated by the electric brake device, namely, the braking force required to be generated by the electric brake device, based on an operation amount of a brake pedal as a brake operation member. Based on the required braking force, the controller determines a force by which the piston 24 pushes the brake pads 12 against the disc rotor 10 , i.e., a target pushing force.
- the axial force is the reaction force of the pushing force.
- the target pushing force is equal to a target axial force that should be generated, and determination of the target pushing force means determination of the target axial force.
- the controller identifies, as an axial force deviation, a deviation of the axial force detected by the axial force sensor (hereinafter referred to as “actual axial force” where appropriate) from the target axial force. Based on the axial force deviation, the controller feedback controls supply currents to the respective two electric motors 22 .
- the electric brake device of the present embodiment includes the two electric motors 22 each as the drive source, and the manner of supplying the electric currents to the two electric motors 22 is characteristic. Specifically, when the required braking force is not greater than a set braking force (which is set as a maximum braking force that can be generally generated by one electric motor 22 ), the electric current is supplied to only one of the two electric motors 22 (hereinafter referred to as “main motor” where appropriate) for generating the braking force only by the main motor.
- a set braking force which is set as a maximum braking force that can be generally generated by one electric motor 22
- the electric current for generating the braking force corresponding to a difference between the required braking force and the set braking force namely, the electric current for generating an insufficient braking force that is a shortage with respect to the required braking force that cannot be provided by the set braking force.
- the electric brake device of the present embodiment is configured such that only the main motor 22 is controlled to push the brake pads 12 against the disc rotor 10 when the required braking force is not greater than the set braking force and such that both the main motor 22 and the sub motor 22 are controlled to push the brake pads 12 against the disc rotor 10 when the required braking force is greater than the set braking force.
- an ABS control (antilock control or antiskid control) is executed.
- the controller obtains a slip ratio of the wheel to which the electric brake device applies the braking force (hereinafter referred to as “subject wheel” where appropriate) based on: a rotational speed of the subject wheel; and a vehicle running speed that is determined based on the rotational speeds of the subject wheel and the other wheels.
- the controller executes the ABS control based on the slip ratio.
- FIG. 3 is a graph indicating a relationship between: the slip ratio of the wheel; and a friction force between the wheel and a road surface in a vehicle travelling direction.
- the controller cancels the braking force being currently applied by the electric brake device when a slip ratio S of the subject wheel exceeds a slip ratio (threshold slip ratio) S TH at which it is estimated that the probability of the occurrence of the locking of the wheel has increased to a certain extent.
- the threshold slip ratio S TH is set so as to be somewhat lower than 100% that is the slip ratio in a state in which the wheel completely locks.
- the operation of the electric brake device relating to the ABS control will be hereinafter referred to as an ABS operation.
- the braking force in the ABS operation needs to be controlled promptly.
- the controller controls both the main motor 22 and the sub motor 22 to move the brake pads 12 away from the disc rotor 10 even if the required braking force is not greater than the set braking force, namely, even if the brake pads 12 are being currently pushed against the disc rotor 10 by only the force of the main motor 22 .
- the controller supplies allowable maximum electric currents to the two electric motors 22 to retract the piston 24 , whereby the brake pads 12 are allowed to be moved away from the disc rotor 10 .
- the braking force is cancelled in the electric brake device considerably speedily owing to the advantage that the inertia of the electric motors 22 is small.
- the controller detects a sign of the locking of the wheel and prepares for cancellation of the braking force. Specifically, in the state in which the slip ratio S of the wheel is greater than the set slip ratio S 0 , the controller controls the main motor 22 such that the piston 24 pushes the brake pads 12 against the disc rotor 10 while controlling the sub motor 22 such that the retracting force, which is a force in a direction in which the piston 24 moves away from the disc rotor 10 , is applied to the piston 24 .
- the state in which the electric motors 22 are thus controlled will be referred to as a standby state.
- the standby state intervened before the cancellation of the braking force enables subsequent cancellation of the braking force to be executed promptly.
- the set slip ratio S 0 is set around the peak slip ratio S P based on the slip ratio at which the friction force in the vehicle traveling direction is maximum, namely, based on the peak slip ratio S P .
- the set slip ratio S 0 is set to the peak slip ratio S P with respect to an ordinary road surface, namely, an ordinary paved road surface except a road surface in particular states such as a wet road surface.
- the motor torque of the sub motor 22 in the standby state should not hinder generation of an appropriate braking force.
- the motor torque of the sub motor 22 in the standby state is made equal to a level at which the braking force being currently generated by the main motor 22 does not substantially decrease.
- the electric current in the reverse direction supplied to the sub motor 22 is a considerably small electric current, i.e., a minute electric current, as compared with the electric current in the forward direction supplied to the main motor 22 .
- the sub motor 22 is controlled to generate the motor torque to such an extent that a backlash present between the drive gear 34 attached to the sub motor 22 and the driven gear 32 in the speed reducer 28 b of the motion converting mechanism 28 is eliminated.
- the computer of the controller repeatedly executes a brake control program indicated by a flowchart of FIG. 4 at a short time pitch, e.g., from several to several tens of milliseconds (msec), so that the control including the ABS control is executed.
- a short time pitch e.g., from several to several tens of milliseconds (msec)
- Step S 1 the required braking force F B * is determined at Step 1 based on the operation amount of the brake pedal.
- Step S 1 is abbreviated as “S 1 ”, and other steps will be similarly abbreviated.
- S 2 the slip ratio S is identified.
- the sub motor 22 is placed into a state in which the sub motor 22 does not substantially generate a resistance by external rotational input.
- the control flow proceeds to S 6 at which the electric current for generating the set braking force F B0 is supplied to the main motor 22 while the electric current for generating an insufficient braking force F IS , which is a shortage with respect to the required braking force F B * that cannot be covered by the set braking force F B0 , is supplied to the sub motor 22 .
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- Transportation (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
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- Regulating Braking Force (AREA)
- Braking Systems And Boosters (AREA)
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Abstract
Description
- The present application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-218325, which was filed on Dec. 2, 2019, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
- The following disclosure relates to an electric brake device installed on vehicles.
- Installation of an electric brake device on vehicles has been recently proposed. The electric brake device includes an electric motor as a drive source. In general, the electric brake device is configured such that a piston is advanced by a force of the electric motor and a friction member is pushed by the advancing movement of the piston against a rotation body that rotates with a wheel. If the electric brake device includes a plurality of electric motors each as the drive source, each of the electric motors can be downsized. For instance, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-94787) describes a vehicle electric brake device including a plurality of electric motors. (The vehicle electric brake device will be hereinafter simply referred to as “electric brake device” where appropriate).
- The electric brake device described above includes two pistons, and the two pistons are moved respectively by two electric motors. The electric brake device is still under development, and there remains much room for improvement in the electric brake device. Thus, some modifications can enhance utility of the electric brake device. Accordingly, one aspect of the present disclosure is directed to an electric brake device having high utility.
- In one aspect of the present disclosure, an electric brake device for a vehicle includes:
- a rotation body that rotates with a wheel;
- a friction member; and
- an actuator including (a) a piston configured to come into engagement with the friction member, (b) two electric motors each as a drive source, and (c) a motion converting mechanism configured to convert a rotating motion of each of the two electric motors into an advancing and retracting movement of the piston, the actuator being configured such that the piston is advanced to push the friction member against the rotation body so as to generate a braking force and the piston is retracted to move the friction member away from the rotation body so as to cancel the braking force.
- The electric brake device of the present disclosure includes two electric motors each as the drive source, resulting in downsizing of the two electric motors. The downsizing of each electric motor can make inertia (inertial force) of the electric motor small. Thus, the electric brake device excellent in response can be achieved according to the present disclosure. Here, the response means the shortness of a time from a time point when a command to generate the braking force is issued to a time point when the braking force is actually generated. The electric brake device of the present disclosure is configured such that one piston is moved by the two electric motors. As compared with the electric brake device configured such that the two pistons are respectively moved by the two electric motors, the present electric brake device is simple in structure. Thus, the electric brake device of the present disclosure has high utility.
- The electric brake device of the present disclosure may be configured such that the controller controls the two electric motors, respectively, in other words, the controller controls the two electric motors independently of each other, so as to control the braking force to be generated. For instance, the controller may include, as a principal constituent element, a computer constituted by a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and may further include drivers (drive circuits) for the respective two electric motors.
- Control of the braking force by the controller will be explained. When a required braking force, which is the braking force required to be generated by the present electric brake device, is not greater than a set braking force, the controller may control only one of the two electric motors to push the friction member against the rotation body. When the required braking force is greater than the set braking force, the controller may control both of the two electric motors to push the friction member against the rotation body. The controller thus controls the two electric motors, whereby a possibility of mutual interaction of the two electric motors is eliminated, for instance, when the required braking force is not greater than the set braking force. Thus, the piston can be moved smoothly.
- When the friction member is pushed against the rotation body by the force of both of the two electric motors, distribution of the force between the two electric motors is not limited to particular distribution. For instance, one of the two electric motors may be controlled so as to generate, by its force, the set braking force while the other of the two electric motors may be controlled so as to generate, by its force, the braking force corresponding to a difference between the required braking force and the set braking force, namely, a shortage with respect to the required braking force that cannot be provided by the set braking force. Instead, the two electric motors may be controlled to generate mutually equal forces, for instance.
- Further, when an occurrence of locking of the wheel is estimated in what is called ABS operation (i.e., operation of the actuator in an antilock control), both of the two electric motors may be controlled to move the friction member away from the rotation body even if the friction member is being currently pushed against the rotation body by the force of only one of the two electric motors. It is desirable that the braking force be rapidly canceled when the locking of the wheel occurs. According to the control described above, when the occurrence of the locking of the wheel is estimated, the braking force can be promptly canceled, thus achieving an appropriate ABS operation. Here, the concept “the occurrence of the locking of the wheel is estimated” means not only a situation in which it is recognized that the wheel has completely locked, but also a situation in which it is estimated that the probability of the occurrence of the locking of the wheel has increased to a certain extent, namely, it is estimated that the wheel is about to lock. In other words, the concept means not only a situation in which it is recognized that the slip ratio has become equal to 100%, but also a situation in which it is recognized that the slip ratio has increased to such an extent that the wheel is about to lock.
- In the ABS operation, the controller may control the two electric motors as follows. In a state in which the slip ratio of the wheel is greater than the set slip ratio, one of the two electric motors may be controlled such that the piston pushes the friction member against the rotation body while the other of the two electric motors may be controlled such that a retracting force is applied to the piston, the retracting force being a force in a direction in which the piston moves away from the rotation body. When the occurrence of the locking of the wheel is estimated, both of the two electric motors may be controlled such that the piston moves away from the rotation body. The state in which the slip ratio of the wheel is greater than the set slip ratio may be regarded as a state in which the probability that the locking of the wheel will occur shortly afterward is high, namely, a state slightly prior to the estimation of the occurrence of the locking of the wheel, in the process leading to the locking of the wheel. To stand by the locking of the wheel in this state, in other words, to promptly cancel the pushing of the friction member against the rotation body by the piston when the occurrence of the locking of the wheel is estimated, the retracting force by the other of the two electric motors is applied to the piston. The state in which the retracting force is applied to the piston by the other of the two electric motors will be hereinafter referred to as “standby state” where appropriate for representing a state for standing by the locking of the wheel.
- The retracting force in the standby state preferably does not hinder the pushing of the friction member against the rotation body by the piston that depends on the force of the one of the two electric motors. In other words, the retracting force preferably does not hinder the braking force which is being applied to the wheel by the force of the one of the two electric motors. Accordingly, in the state in which the slip ratio of the wheel is greater than the set slip ratio, the other of the two electric motors is preferably controlled to apply, to the piston, the retracting force to such an extent that the braking force being currently generated does not substantially decrease.
- Relationship between: a wheel slip ratio; and a friction force between a wheel and a road surface in a vehicle traveling direction is well known. (This friction force will be hereinafter simply referred to as “friction force” where appropriate). Specifically, the friction force increases as the slip ratio increases from 0% and peaks when the slip ratio becomes equal to about 15%-20%. The friction force subsequently decreases with a further increase in the slip ratio and becomes equal to a value at which a specific braking force is obtained when the slip ratio is equal to 100%. In view of this, the set slip ratio is preferably set based on the slip ratio at which the friction force peaks, namely, based on the slip ratio at which a grip force of the wheel with respect to the road surface is maximum. (This slip ratio will be hereinafter referred to as “peak slip ratio” where appropriate). Specifically, the peak slip ratio itself may be determined as the set slip ratio. Alternatively, the set slip ratio may be determined so as to be lower or higher than the peak slip ratio by allowing a slight margin for the peak slip ratio.
- The objects, features, advantages, and technical and industrial significance of the present disclosure will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of an embodiment, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
-
FIG. 1A is a plan view of a vehicle electric brake device according to one embodiment; -
FIG. 1B is a front view of the electric brake device according to the embodiment; -
FIG. 2A is a plan view of a vehicle electric brake device according to a comparative example; -
FIG. 2B is a front view of the electric brake device according to the comparative example; -
FIG. 3 is a graph indicating a relationship between: a wheel slip ratio; and a friction force between a wheel and a road surface in a vehicle traveling direction; and -
FIG. 4 is a flowchart indicating a brake control program executed in the electric brake device according to the embodiment. - Referring to the drawings, there will be explained below in detail a vehicle electric brake device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the details of the following embodiment but may be changed and modified based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.
- An electric brake device according to the present embodiment is a disc brake device illustrated in a plan view of
FIG. 1A and a front view ofFIG. 1B (in which a front-side portion of the device is partly removed). The electric brake device includes adisc rotor 10 as a rotation body that rotates with a wheel, a pair ofbrake pads 12 disposed so as to interpose thedisc rotor 10 therebetween, and anactuator 14 configured to push thebrake pads 12 against thedisc rotor 10 for applying a braking force to the wheel. The long dashed short dashed line inFIG. 1A indicates an axis L of the actuator 14 (hereinafter referred to as “actuator axis L” where appropriate). Theactuator 14 is disposed such that the actuator axis L is parallel to an axis of the wheel, i.e., a wheel axis. In the following description, a direction in which the actuator axis L extends will be referred to as an axial direction, and a lower side and an upper side inFIG. 1A will be referred to as a body side in the axial direction and a counter-body side in the axial direction, respectively. - The
disc rotor 10 is held by a carrier (not shown) together with the wheel (not shown) such that thedisc rotor 10 is rotatable about the wheel axis. The carrier may be referred to as a steering knuckle in a case where the wheel is a steerable wheel. Eachbrake pad 12 includes afriction member 12 a to be pushed against thedisc rotor 10 and abackup plate 12 b that backups thefriction member 12 a on one side of thefriction member 12 a opposite to thedisc rotor 10. Thebrake pad 12 itself may be regarded as the friction member. In view of this, pushing thefriction members 12 a against thedisc rotor 10 will be referred to as pushing thebrake pads 12 against thedisc rotor 10. Similarly, moving thefriction members 12 a away from thedisc rotor 10, namely, allowing thefriction members 12 a to be moved away from thedisc rotor 10, will be referred to as moving thebrake pads 12 away from thedisc rotor 10. - The
actuator 14 includes amain body 20 constituted integrally by abase member 20 a having a generally U-shaped cross section and opening upward and aframe 20 b to an inside portion of which thebase member 20 a are bonded at opposite end portions thereof. Though a detailed structure is not explained, one of the twobrake pads 12 located on the body side is held by thebase member 20 a while the other of the twobrake pads 12 located on the counter-body side is held by theframe 20 b, such that a displacement of the twobrake pads 12 in the axial direction is allowed. Though a detailed structure is not explained, themain body 20 itself is held by the carrier such that its displacement in the axial direction is allowed utilizing support holes 20 c formed through thebase member 20 a in the axial direction. - The
actuator 14 includes twoelectric motors 22 each as a drive source. The twoelectric motors 22 are fixedly supported by thebase member 20 a. Theactuator 14 further includes apiston 24 for pushing thebrake pads 12 against thedisc rotor 10. Thepiston 24 is held by thebase member 20 a so as to be movable in the axial direction via aholder sleeve 26 fixed to thebase member 20 a. - The
actuator 14 includes amotion converting mechanism 28 configured to convert rotating motions of the respective twoelectric motors 22, namely, rotating motions of motor shafts of the respective twoelectric motors 22, into an advancing and retracting movement of thepiston 24 in the axial direction. Here, a movement of thepiston 24 toward the body side in the axial direction will be referred to as a retracting movement while a movement of thepiston 24 toward the counter-body side in the axial direction will be referred to as an advancing movement. The actuator 14 advances thepiston 24 to cause thebrake pads 12 to be pushed against thedisc rotor 10, so as to generate the braking force. Theactuator 14 retracts thepiston 24 to cause thebrake pads 12 to be moved away from thedisc rotor 10, namely, to allow thebrake pads 12 to be moved away from thedisc rotor 10, so as to cancel the braking force. - A
female thread 24 a is formed on thepiston 24. Amain shaft 30, which has amale thread 30 a held in threaded engagement with thefemale thread 24 a, is held by thebase member 20 a such that themain shaft 30 is rotatable and immovable in the axial direction. By rotating themain shaft 30, thepiston 24 moves in the axial direction. That is, a convertingportion 28 a of themotion converting mechanism 28 is constituted by themain shaft 30 and the portion of thepiston 24 on which thefemale thread 24 a is formed. - The
main shaft 30 extends from thebase member 20 a toward the body side. A drivengear 32, which is a spur gear having a relatively large diameter, is fixedly fitted on the extended portion of themain shaft 30. The motor shaft of eachelectric motor 22 extends from thebase member 20 a toward the body side. Adrive gear 34, which is a spur gear having a relatively small diameter, is fixedly fitted on the extended portion of each motor shaft. Twointermediate gears 36 are rotatably held by thebase member 20 a such that each of the twointermediate gears 36 connects a corresponding one of the drive gears 34 and the drivengear 32. Specifically, eachintermediate gear 36 is constituted integrally by a large-diameter gear 36 a that is a spur gear having a relatively large diameter and a small-diameter gear 36 b that is a spur gear having a relatively small diameter. The large-diameter gear 36 a is in mesh with a corresponding one of the drive gears 34 while the small-diameter gear 36 b is in mesh with the drivengear 32. In the structure, the drivengear 32, the twointermediate gears 36, and the two drive gears 34 constitute a functional portion for decelerating the rotation of eachelectric motor 22 and transmitting the decelerated rotation to themain shaft 30, namely, the drivengear 32, the twointermediate gears 36, and the two drive gears 34 constitute aspeed reducer 28 b of themotion converting mechanism 28. - As is clear from the structure described above, the
motion converting mechanism 28 is configured to convert the rotating motions of any of the twoelectric motors 22 into the advancing and retracting movement of thepiston 24. Specifically, by supplying an electric current to only one of the two electric motors, thepiston 24 can be advanced and retracted only by a force of the one of the twoelectric motors 22. (The force will be hereinafter referred to as “motor torque” where appropriate.) Instead, the twoelectric motors 22 can cooperate with each other, so as to advance and retract thepiston 24 by the motor torques of the twoelectric motors 22. - Here, an electric brake device according to a comparative example will be explained referring to a plan view of
FIG. 2A and a front view ofFIG. 2B (in which a front-side portion of the device is partly removed). The electric device according to the comparative example includes only one electric motor as the drive source. An actuator 14′ of the electric brake device according to the comparative example includes oneelectric motor 22′ as the drive source. Theelectric motor 22′ is large-sized, as compared with eachelectric motor 22 that the electric brake device of the present embodiment includes as the drive source. Specifically, theelectric motor 22′ is configured to generate a motor torque about twice as large as the motor torque that can be generated by eachelectric motor 22. The large-sizedelectric motor 22′ has an outside diameter considerably larger than that of theelectric motors 22. As apparent from a comparison betweenFIG. 1 andFIG. 2 , the electric brake device according to the embodiment including the relatively small-sized twoelectric motors 22 each as the drive source is compact in size, as compared with the electric brake device according to the comparative example including the relatively large-sizedelectric motor 22′ as the drive source. The electric brake device according to the comparative example including only oneelectric motor 22′ as the drive source has amotion converting mechanism 28′ (speed reducer 28 b′) different in structure from the motion converting mechanism 28 (thespeed reducer 28 b) of the electric brake device of the present embodiment. - In driving the electric motor, namely, in starting to generate the motor torque or changing the magnitude and the direction of the motor torque, it is needed to drive the electric motor against inertia (inertial force) of the electric motor. From this viewpoint, the electric brake device of the embodiment having the relatively small-sized
electric motors 22 is excellent in response of the motor torque and accordingly excellent in response of the braking force, as compared with the electric brake device of the comparative example having the relatively large-sizedelectric motor 22′. In this respect, the diameter of theelectric motors 22 smaller than that of theelectric motor 22′ contributes particularly to good response. - As one example of the electric brake device including the two electric motors each as the drive source, there may be conceived an electric brake device configured such that the two electric motors move respective two pistons via respective two motion converting mechanisms. As compared with such an electric brake device, the electric brake device of the embodiment is simple in structure.
- The electric brake device of the embodiment, namely, the braking force to be generated by the electric brake device, is controlled by a controller (not shown). The controller includes a computer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and drive circuits (drivers) for the respective two
electric motors 22. Eachelectric motor 22 is a three-phase brushless motor, and each drive circuit is an inverter. While not illustrated, the electric brake device of the embodiment is provided with an axial force sensor for detecting an axial force (thrust force) that acts on themain shaft 30 as a reaction force of the pushing of thebrake pads 12 against thedisc rotor 10 by thepiston 24. The controller controls operations of the twoelectric motors 22 independently of each other based on the axial force detected by the axial force sensor. That is, the controller controls the twoelectric motors 22 independently of each other, thereby controlling the braking force to be generated. - There will be briefly explained basic control of the braking force. The controller determines, as a required braking force, the braking force that should be generated by the electric brake device, namely, the braking force required to be generated by the electric brake device, based on an operation amount of a brake pedal as a brake operation member. Based on the required braking force, the controller determines a force by which the
piston 24 pushes thebrake pads 12 against thedisc rotor 10, i.e., a target pushing force. As explained above, the axial force is the reaction force of the pushing force. Accordingly, the target pushing force is equal to a target axial force that should be generated, and determination of the target pushing force means determination of the target axial force. The controller identifies, as an axial force deviation, a deviation of the axial force detected by the axial force sensor (hereinafter referred to as “actual axial force” where appropriate) from the target axial force. Based on the axial force deviation, the controller feedback controls supply currents to the respective twoelectric motors 22. - The electric brake device of the present embodiment includes the two
electric motors 22 each as the drive source, and the manner of supplying the electric currents to the twoelectric motors 22 is characteristic. Specifically, when the required braking force is not greater than a set braking force (which is set as a maximum braking force that can be generally generated by one electric motor 22), the electric current is supplied to only one of the two electric motors 22 (hereinafter referred to as “main motor” where appropriate) for generating the braking force only by the main motor. When the required braking force becomes greater than the set braking force, there is supplied, to the one of the twoelectric motors 22, the electric current that enables the set braking force to be kept generated, and there is supplied, to the other of the two electric motors 22 (hereinafter referred to as “sub motor” where appropriate), the electric current for generating the braking force corresponding to a difference between the required braking force and the set braking force, namely, the electric current for generating an insufficient braking force that is a shortage with respect to the required braking force that cannot be provided by the set braking force. That is, the electric brake device of the present embodiment is configured such that only themain motor 22 is controlled to push thebrake pads 12 against thedisc rotor 10 when the required braking force is not greater than the set braking force and such that both themain motor 22 and thesub motor 22 are controlled to push thebrake pads 12 against thedisc rotor 10 when the required braking force is greater than the set braking force. - In the electric brake device of the present embodiment, an ABS control (antilock control or antiskid control) is executed. The controller obtains a slip ratio of the wheel to which the electric brake device applies the braking force (hereinafter referred to as “subject wheel” where appropriate) based on: a rotational speed of the subject wheel; and a vehicle running speed that is determined based on the rotational speeds of the subject wheel and the other wheels. The controller executes the ABS control based on the slip ratio.
-
FIG. 3 is a graph indicating a relationship between: the slip ratio of the wheel; and a friction force between the wheel and a road surface in a vehicle travelling direction. The controller cancels the braking force being currently applied by the electric brake device when a slip ratio S of the subject wheel exceeds a slip ratio (threshold slip ratio) STH at which it is estimated that the probability of the occurrence of the locking of the wheel has increased to a certain extent. In this respect, the threshold slip ratio STH is set so as to be somewhat lower than 100% that is the slip ratio in a state in which the wheel completely locks. - The operation of the electric brake device relating to the ABS control will be hereinafter referred to as an ABS operation. The braking force in the ABS operation needs to be controlled promptly. In the electric brake device, therefore, the controller controls both the
main motor 22 and thesub motor 22 to move thebrake pads 12 away from thedisc rotor 10 even if the required braking force is not greater than the set braking force, namely, even if thebrake pads 12 are being currently pushed against thedisc rotor 10 by only the force of themain motor 22. Specifically, the controller supplies allowable maximum electric currents to the twoelectric motors 22 to retract thepiston 24, whereby thebrake pads 12 are allowed to be moved away from thedisc rotor 10. Thus, the braking force is cancelled in the electric brake device considerably speedily owing to the advantage that the inertia of theelectric motors 22 is small. - In the ABS operation, the controller detects a sign of the locking of the wheel and prepares for cancellation of the braking force. Specifically, in the state in which the slip ratio S of the wheel is greater than the set slip ratio S0, the controller controls the
main motor 22 such that thepiston 24 pushes thebrake pads 12 against thedisc rotor 10 while controlling thesub motor 22 such that the retracting force, which is a force in a direction in which thepiston 24 moves away from thedisc rotor 10, is applied to thepiston 24. The state in which theelectric motors 22 are thus controlled will be referred to as a standby state. The standby state intervened before the cancellation of the braking force enables subsequent cancellation of the braking force to be executed promptly. - As apparent from
FIG. 3 , the set slip ratio S0 is set around the peak slip ratio SP based on the slip ratio at which the friction force in the vehicle traveling direction is maximum, namely, based on the peak slip ratio SP. Specifically, the set slip ratio S0 is set to the peak slip ratio SP with respect to an ordinary road surface, namely, an ordinary paved road surface except a road surface in particular states such as a wet road surface. - It is noted that the motor torque of the
sub motor 22 in the standby state should not hinder generation of an appropriate braking force. Thus, the motor torque of thesub motor 22 in the standby state is made equal to a level at which the braking force being currently generated by themain motor 22 does not substantially decrease. In other words, the electric current in the reverse direction supplied to thesub motor 22 is a considerably small electric current, i.e., a minute electric current, as compared with the electric current in the forward direction supplied to themain motor 22. Specifically, thesub motor 22 is controlled to generate the motor torque to such an extent that a backlash present between thedrive gear 34 attached to thesub motor 22 and the drivengear 32 in thespeed reducer 28 b of themotion converting mechanism 28 is eliminated. - The computer of the controller repeatedly executes a brake control program indicated by a flowchart of
FIG. 4 at a short time pitch, e.g., from several to several tens of milliseconds (msec), so that the control including the ABS control is executed. There will be briefly explained processing executed in accordance with the program. - In the processing according to the brake control program, the required braking force FB* is determined at
Step 1 based on the operation amount of the brake pedal. (Step S1 is abbreviated as “S1”, and other steps will be similarly abbreviated.) At S2, the slip ratio S is identified. - At S3, it is determined whether the slip ratio S is greater than the set slip ratio S0. When it is determined that the slip ratio S is not greater than the set slip ratio S0, it is determined at S4 whether the required braking force FB* is not greater than the set braking force FB0. When it is determined that the required braking force FB* is not greater than the set braking force FB0, the control flow proceeds to S5 at which the electric current for generating the required braking force FB* is supplied to the one of the two
electric motors 22, i.e., themain motor 22, while the other of the twoelectric motors 22, i.e., thesub motor 22, is not controlled. That is, thesub motor 22 is placed into a state in which thesub motor 22 does not substantially generate a resistance by external rotational input. On the other hand, when it is determined that the required braking force FB* is greater than the set braking force FB0, the control flow proceeds to S6 at which the electric current for generating the set braking force FB0 is supplied to themain motor 22 while the electric current for generating an insufficient braking force FIS, which is a shortage with respect to the required braking force FB* that cannot be covered by the set braking force FB0, is supplied to thesub motor 22. - When it is determined at S3 that the slip ratio S is greater than the set slip ratio S0, it is determined at S7 whether the slip ratio S is greater than the threshold slip ratio STH. When it is determined that the slip ratio S is not greater than the threshold slip ratio STH, the control flow proceeds to S8 at which the electric current for generating the required braking force FB* is supplied to the
main motor 22 while the electric current for applying the extremely small retracting force to thepiston 24 is supplied to thesub motor 22, so as to establish the standby state. In this respect, when the required braking force FB* is greater than the set braking force FB0, only the electric current sufficient for generating the set braking force FB0 is supplied to themain motor 22. This leads to a decrease in the braking force. However, the decrease in the braking force hardly hinders the appropriate operation of the electric brake device because the braking force will be probably cancelled following the standby state. - When it is determined at S7 that the slip ratio S is greater than the threshold slip ratio STH, the control flow proceeds to S9 at which the allowable maximum electric currents in the reverse direction are supplied to the
main motor 22 and thesub motor 22 for retracting thepiston 24.
Claims (7)
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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JP2019218325A JP7238745B2 (en) | 2019-12-02 | 2019-12-02 | Electric brake system for vehicles |
JPJP2019-218325 | 2019-12-02 | ||
JP2019-218325 | 2019-12-02 |
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US20210162977A1 true US20210162977A1 (en) | 2021-06-03 |
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US17/076,221 Active 2041-04-20 US11608043B2 (en) | 2019-12-02 | 2020-10-21 | Vehicle electric brake device |
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US20220032886A1 (en) * | 2018-09-26 | 2022-02-03 | Hitachi Astemo, Ltd. | Electric brake, and control device |
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- 2020-10-21 US US17/076,221 patent/US11608043B2/en active Active
- 2020-10-26 CN CN202011155443.XA patent/CN112977380B/en active Active
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Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US20220032886A1 (en) * | 2018-09-26 | 2022-02-03 | Hitachi Astemo, Ltd. | Electric brake, and control device |
US11993239B2 (en) * | 2018-09-26 | 2024-05-28 | Hitachi Astemo, Ltd. | Electric brake, and control device |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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US11608043B2 (en) | 2023-03-21 |
JP2021088231A (en) | 2021-06-10 |
JP7238745B2 (en) | 2023-03-14 |
CN112977380A (en) | 2021-06-18 |
CN112977380B (en) | 2023-04-28 |
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